04 Kembara Ramadhan - Surat Thani

“Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul...”

(Surat Thani Central Mosque)

Day 04: Tuesday, 4 April 2023
Route: Nakhon Si Thammarat - Tha Sala - Surat Thani
Distance: 155 km
Hotel: Harbour Front Hotel, Surat Thani

We had nasi and sambal sotong for sahur. After subuh prayers and tadarus we continued sleeping.

Checked out around 9.00 am. We stopped at Masjid Salahuddin for photo shoot. Fronted by the huge black-and-white picture of a young King Rama IX sat atop the mosque's ornate wooden mimbar, this mosque is distinctly Moghul in design and features several onion domes. Green colour is widely used. The original mehrab points slightly off Mecca.

(A large signage of the mosque) 

(Masjid Salahuddin, Nakhon Si Thammarat)

(The green domes could be seen from far)

(The Roman columns along the corridors)

(Vibrant Mihrab area)

(Moghul design green domes)

(External and internal views)

(Painting on the wall depicting the King in the mosque)

Drove out of town towards Surat Thani and stopped at the Nakhon Si Thammarat Islamic Council for photo shoot. This huge, golden-domed mosque is located on the outskirts of Nakhon Si Thammarat. It is aesthetically beautiful structure with two gold-rimmed minarets loom overhead. Stained glass decorated the windows. A beautiful tri-domed dark wood mimbar sits in a modern spacious central hall. The mosque was quiet and empty but the mosque really comes alive during Friday prayers.

(Driving out of Nakhon Si Thammarat)

(Nakhon Si Thammarat Islamic Council)

(A huge, golden-domed mosque)

(The golden domes and the minarets)

(Staircase to the upper level)

(The mimbar and the prayer area)

(Colourful stained glass decorating the windows)

We later drove towards Tha Sala and stopped at Sheiaruddeen Mosque for Dhuha prayers. The mosque is situated on the road side and convenient for travellers to stop and rest. There is ample parking space around the mosque.

(Sheiaruddeen Mosque in Tha Sala)

(View from across the road)

(Performing our prayers here)

(Exterior and interior views)

(The graveyard near the mosque)

When we reached Surat Thani we tried to locate the muslim restaurant near Rajabhat University but we were directed to a wrong location. We will try later tonight or tomorrow if time permitted. Drove to Bismillah Haji Restaurant by the Tapi river. They only sell nasi and lauk-pauk and will close at 5.00 pm.

(Driving towards Surat Thani)

(Haji Bismillah restaurant by the Tapi River)

(An island of Tapi River)

Next we drove to Surat Thani Central Mosque to recce the area. Met with a few jemaah there and we were invited to have iftar with the jemaah at the mosque. We went to Halal Street by the river but the stalls only start selling at 3.00 pm and we were early.

Checked in the Harbour Front Hotel for B790/night and took a much needed rest in the room. At 5.00pm we drove to Muslim Ocha located at a food court and bought nasi goreng and Pad Thai. We had our iftar in the hotel room.

(Harbour Front Hotel, Surat Thani)

(A cosy boutique hotel)

(Buying food for iftar at Muslim Ocha)

After maghrib/isya jamak prayer in the room, we drove to Surat Thani Central Mosque for solat Tarawih. After Tarawih we had moreh with the friendly and welcoming locals.

(Day and night views of the Central Mosque)

(The prayer hall and moreh area)

          05 Kembara Ramadhan - Krabi👉

👈03 Kembara Ramadhan - Nakhon Si Thammarat

05 Kembara Ramadhan - Krabi

“When you forgive, you don't change the past but you change the future...”

(Central Mosque of Krabi)

Day 05: Wednesday, 5 April 2023
Route: Surat Thani - Krabi
Distance: 149 km
Hotel: J Mansion Krabi

This morning we checked out of the hotel a little late. We headed towards Nurul Islam Mosque situated in Chan khwa Kanchanadit located on the outskirt of Surat Thani about 20 km away on route 401. Met Malik, Karim and Farhad who were doing some repair works at the mosque. We performed tahyatul masjid and dhuha prayers there. We bought some provisions from a nearby 7-Eleven before we continued our journey towards Krabi on route 44.

(Passing through small towns)

(Masjid Nurul Iman, a beautiful mosque out of town)

(Spacious parking space around the mosque)

(The main prayer hall and the mimbar)

(Iftar is served at the dining area)

(Our favorite Halal eatery near Rajabhat University)

Krabi is famous for its scenic view and breath-taking beaches and islands. Its coral reef are also one of the world’s most beautiful, which makes Krabi a great spot for islands hopping and coral diving.

When we reached Krabi we stopped at Krabi Central Mosque to recce the area and took some photo around the mosque.

(Driving on route 44 towards Krabi)

(Central Mosque of Krabi)

(A large signage, by the main road)

(A huge mosque with full amenities)

(The main entrance to the prayer hall)

The majestic Krabi Central Mosque is the main mosque in the province of Krabi. The mosque functions as a hub for community activities ranging from daily prayers, community gatherings, to night markets and weddings. It is also a popular destination for Muslim travellers from around the world and prides itself on having been one of the first public facilities to achieve disability-friendly status in 2018.

(Signages around the mosque)

(A spacious marble floor main prayer hall)

(Iftar invitation with the VVIP)

(The side view of the Central Mosque)

(The base for Council for Humanitarian Networking)

From here we drove to Masjid Madinah Krabi to performed our jamak zohor/Asar prayers. Masjid Madinah Krabi is a small mosque located on the way to Krabi town. It is situated within the residential area off the main road.

(Masjid Madinah Krabi)

(A musafir friendly mosque)

(Ample parking space around the mosque)

(Spacious prayer hall for muslimin and muslimat)

(The simple mimbar and an old cupboard)

After our jamak prayers we drove towards Ao Nang Beach and made a few stops to visit a few of the many mosques along the route. Krabi being in the South of Thailand has therefore a large Malay-Muslim population. There were mosques and suraus within every small village in the district.

(Masjid Nurulyannah, Krabi)

(Masjid al-Aman, Krabi)

We checked in at J Mansion for two nights at B700/night. Whole afternoon we rested in the room as it was too hot outside. Later we bought roti pisang, egg burger and fries for iftar from one of the many  halal stalls along Ao Nang Beach.

(A halal roti stall and tuk-tuk waiting area)

(Simple iftar for tonight)

After jamak Maghrib/isya prayers in the room we drove to Krabi Central Mosque for Tarawih prayers. The mosque is about 16 km from our hotel. It took us nearly 20 minutes to reach the mosque. We completed 8 rakaat and witir. The rest of the jemaah continued with 20 rakaat.

(A full moon over the Central Mosque)

(Dimly lit mihrab area)

(A handful muslimin for Tarawih prayers)

(Social distancing still for the muslimat)

(The large dome and a minaret)

Back at Ao Nang beach, we bought nasi goreng, Tom yam Thalay and omelette for sahur from a halal eatery next to our hotel. It is not hard to find halal eateries in Krabi. And the best part is, prices of food are still cheap.

(Waiting for our orders)

(J Mansion, Ao Nang Beach)

(Our room for the night)

          06 Kembara Ramadhan - Krabi👉

👈04 Kembara Ramadhan - Surat Thani